‘PURPLE FIESTA: BAGGAGE CART’ by Theda Sandiford available through Ivy Brown Gallery.
Purple Fiesta: Baggage Cart
Free Your Mind
Free Your Mind is a public textile art project aiming to collect, exhibit, embed and release personal narratives about Microaggressions in a multi-sensory installation facilitated by artist Theda Sandiford.
Microaggressions are subtle, intentional — and oftentimes unintentional — everyday interactions or behaviors that communicate hostile, derogatory or negative messages or assumptions toward historically marginalized groups. The weight of these daily interactions underpins very real consequences… stress, anger, frustration, self-doubt and ultimately feelings of powerlessness and invisibility.
This project intends to expose these interactions and provide a release for the participating individuals. Participants are invited to write a story about a microaggression they have experienced onto a ribbon and tie this ribbon onto a netto release this story from their personal narrative. This is a story ribbon.
The installation evolves with each new story ribbon, keeping a public record of disempowering interactions, that can be exposed and talked about. Participants have the feeling of being seen and acknowledged while interacting with the work. In the installation space, as visitors move throughout the space, motion sensors trigger monotone computer voice recordings of story ribbons.
In 2021 Free Your Mind toured, collecting story ribbons in Bayonne NJ, Jersey City NJ, Sunsets @ The Standard, Miami Art Week. In 2022 the installation will travel to ExpoChicago April 4-7 Navy Pier and will make stops in Brooklyn and Newark this year.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
Interested individuals, institutions and businesses can support the project by engaging themselves and/or communities to collect story ribbons
SHARE YOUR STORY >>
Share a story about a microaggression you have experienced? How did it make you feel?
PARTICIPATE >> ONLINE HERE
OR MAIL STORY RIBBONS>>
Using a Sharpie, in two sentences (100 words max.) write your story on a ribbon
Mail your story ribbon to…
Project Free Your Mind c/o Sky Garden Gallery, 150 Bay St. PH9 Jersey City NJ 07302
Anonymous story ribbons and the textile artwork containing them will be shared on Instagram and www.thedasandiford.com.
Follow @misstheda and @skygardengallery on Instagram to get updates on this project and see your story in the installation.
Black Ballerinas
‘Black Ballerinas’ by Theda Sandiford available through Ivy Brown Gallery.
You Are So Articulate
In this weaving, each piece of yarn is representative of a conversation where I was acknowledged for being able to express my thoughts and ideas. Being told I’m well-spoken often comes off as a backhanded compliment. It carries problematic connotations that, it is unusual for someone of my race to be intelligent or eloquent.
The completed weaving is displayed on a DYI loom, as if the work is still in progress because some version of this conversation, continues still…
Recycle 2021
Exhibit On View: September 12 – October 17, 2021.
In-Person Opening Reception: Sunday, September 12, 2021, 12:00pm-6:00pm
On Location: 481 Van Brunt St Brooklyn, NY 11231
I started calling this cart Wide Load before I was even conscious of how much of my emotional baggage is tied to the food I eat.
Don’t even think of visiting my Mom without her feeding you. I can still smell , vivid memories of being punishing for not eating my food and being reminded of the starving children in Africa. A double whammy of eat and feel guilty about eating. I could go on and on…
FIF 2021: Future Is Female
On View: September 1, 2021 – September 30th, 2021
On Location: 175 Pearl St, 5th Fl Brooklyn NY
The 3rd annual Future is Female exhibit, curated by sk.Artspace, aims to shed light on black women visual artists who persevered and became activists through their personal choices. The exhibition will highlight women, like me who unapologetically live their lives through action, women who had no intention of being a person of influence, yet raised the bar to lead, even when no one was looking – the “Unsung Shereos.”
I have three emotional baggage carts in the show, including my very first, Caution Baggage Cart.
While working on my first shopping cart “Caution Baggage Cart” I was thinking about the people I had lost to Covid and the inability to properly mourn socially distant. I realized I was carrying a lot of emotional baggage related to fear of loss.
The cart needed some wheel repair and rust removal. Once sanded down, I spray painted the cart with gold and bronze paint left over from a previous project. The luscious gold wefts called to Caution tape that I had just foraged from the construction site across the street. I found just the right mix of fabric, paracord and yarns to complete the weave in my remnant stash.
Work in Progress
I have been having surreal time lapsed dreams of making this work since May.
The net/weaving is 8’x6′ and weighs about 100LBs so far and I havent started wrapping beading or pulling zip ties on yet.
Detail View 
Life at the Crossroads 
Caught In the Net 
More layers to come
All Dressed Up, Nowhere To Go
Did you ever play dress up in you parents closet as a child? I did.
This body of work recreates the act of rummaging through my mom’s closet except i went through my own closet and storage unit to rediscover treasures I had squirrelled away.
See this work at Be the Light now on view through until August 22, 2021 at Bridge Art Gallery 199 Broadway, Bayonne NJ https://www.bridgeartgallery.net/
TSGNY- Summer Members Show
Have a peak at Heights Over Springfield in the TSGNY June Member’s Show and view all the member’s work. I hope you find as much inspiration from looking at these works as I have.
Making Of: You Are So Articulate
My weaving, You Are So Articulate, is currently displayed at the 2021 New Jersey Arts Annual: ReVision and Respond at The Newark Museum of Art.
Each piece of yarn used to in this weaving is representative of a particular conversation where I was acknowledged for being able to express my thoughts and ideas. As you can see this conversation comes up quite a bit.
You Are So Articulate- 
You Are So Articulate- close up 
You Are So Articulate- close up
You Are So Articulate comes in many forms, including…
you speak so well… you are well read… you speak white… and even “that went better than I was expecting”, comment after I nail the presentation.
Telling someone they are well-spoken is a back handed compliment. It carries the connotation that, it is unusual for someone Black to be intelligent.
The completed weaving is displayed on a DYI loom, as if, it is a work in progress because some version of this conversation, continues still, till this very day.